The World I Once Knew
by Rabla
Summary: Shiro Shinda is a fresh new Reaper in the legendary 'Reapers Game' in Shibuya, Japan. Along with his friends, reaper veteran Ike Futomara, and officer Alice Lithunia, he spends his days enjoying his new lifestyle. Until one day a rogue Noise appears.
1. Part 01: a NOISE unlike sound

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 1: Day 1

[a NOISE unlike sound]

() () () () ()

"The rogue Noise was first seen at Udagawa Back Streets, by a Red on Wall Duty that was there to guard the Patchy R & R that Players were meant to defeat for that days mission. The noise in question, a Melodi Corehog, apparently appeared there without prior summoning by a Reaper, smashed through the wall set up, and rampaged down the streets before being erased by Officer Kakeru Takeshi, after being attacked by the Noise himself. Casualties included a pair of players and one Support Reaper."

The Conducter, Zio Lee, had called all the bigshot Reapers to a meeting in the exclusive Dead God's Pad. This was Shiro's first time in the room, and hopefully not his last. He wasn't even meant to be down here, being the newbie he is, but Ike insisted he be let in.

Shiro Shinda was a Reaper who was new to the trade and had joined them only 2 weeks earlier. His time as a Player was short, after only four days his partner was erased, and an option to join the Reapers was the only thing he had left. He didn't mind though. Shiro found the other side of the game fascinating. He knew his sister missed him, but he decided she would be fine and opted out of the battle for a second chance.

"Yes Conducter, that is correct" said Kakeru Takeshi, sitting just across from Zio. "The Red mentioned noted that the Noise gave off a slightly different vibe than usual, and its what led him to believe the Noise was a rogue. However he did note that it was definently not a case of Taboo Noise. It was unsummoned, yet somehow got into the UG."

"Better here than the RealGround" said the girl sitting next to Shiro. "At least we can deal with it". Alice Lithunia was an averaged sized 19 year old girl, with blond hair adorned with a little red bow. Her necklace stood out, a christian cross. The story of why a Christian joined the Reapers was a popular one, yet the true reason behind it was still unknown. She had been recently promoted to Officer herself, and used to be one of the toughest Harriers across all 4 of Japan's Reapers Game's.

"Well.. anyway. I was hoping to have this matter wrapped up before this weeks game started,, but we're running out of time, its already 9:30. The new players for the week will be here in half an hour. Meeting dismissed"

And with that line from Zio, the 10 reapers in the room headed towards the door, except-

"Ike, Shiro, Alice. Come here"

"Oh boy, this is gonna be about the thing with the SUV we had that bird do last Friday" muttered Ike. Ike Futomara seemed to be the average Reaper, and didn't stand out too much amongst the team. However he was known as a fierce and cruel fighter when he needed to be. Stories said he once killed every Player in a round of the Reapers Game in order to get some powerful pin. However Shiro had learnt that Ike was a laidback and lazy guy, and when he didn't want to do something, he didn't. Probably the reason why he's still only a Harrier after being a Reaper for almost 2 years, but Officer duties didn't seem to fit him anyway.

"Conductor sir, I know we're not allowed to erase Players before Day 7 but technically the bird did i-"

"Thats not what I want to talk to you about" interrupted Zio.

"Oh, cool then. Whats up"

Zio cleared his throat. Shiro always though him to be a demanding power hungry sort of guy, but when it came down to it he always got shit sorted out when there was a problem. Ike hated his guts from the moment he met him.

"I want the three of you to look further into this matter"

Shiro was slightly surprised. "Why us, Conducter sir?"

"This will be good training for you, Shiro. Plus it will keep Ike busy"

"And me, sir?" said Alice. Shiro could tell she didn't seem to have a clue what was going on.

"This will be your first overseeing as an Officer. Keep notes in your head and have a report ready to give when you've figured it out."

"Yes, Conductor sir"

"I want the three of you to head to Cadoi City and talk to the Red who was at Udagawa when it happened. He's to tell you every detail he knows. Figure out where this rogue Noise came from."

() () ()

"Maaaan, why do we have to do this crap?"

"Oh get over it Ike, you would of just spent the day making the new Players make a fool of themselves anyway"

"Aw c'mon Alice, its fun, really. Don'tcha remember back when you were a Harrier and you got to screw with Players too?"

"That was.. I grew up, okay? Sure it might of been a little fun at the time but you have to get over it and do your job."

The trio were heading across the Scramble Crossing, the center of Shibuya. Overheads loomed the 'Shibuya 104', a large tower filled with nothing but shops. Shibuya was one of the fasion capitals of Japan, and its placement in the large Tokyo cemented its status as a must-see location. However under all the talk and fun, Shibuya was also one of Japan's 4 locations for the legendary 'Reaper's Game'.

The Reapers Game was a second chance at life. People who die in the real world, known as the 'RealGround' or RG, came to this world, the 'UnderGround' or UG. There they had to survive an entire week, fulfilling one mission a day while fighting monsters known as 'Noise'. If you survived the week, you got to return to the RG and continue your life. If you were killed here, or 'Erased' as its called, you were officially dead. No replays, no restarts.

() () ()

"Yo, Red Hood." called Ike. Shiro looked up to see they had arrived at Cadoi.

"You guys need something? Let me guess, its about the Noise from Day 6 last week". The Red Hooded Reaper gave nothing away about his own personality, just like the various others around Shibuya. He'd be one of them too, if it wasn't for Ike taking an interest in him during the time he played the game. However Shiro could notice strands of orange hair peeking out of under the hood. Guess it gave him a little bit of himself.

Alice was the one to respond. "Pretty much, yeah. We're wondering if you can tell or show us everything you know about it."

"Alright then, follow me" said the Orange haired Red. He lifted his hood a little so the three could see his face, letting them know which one they needed to be with. "The names Kariya. Koki Kariya."

() () ()

"Udagawa huh, why here of all places" Shiro wondered out loud. Kariya had brought them back to the original location of the event.

"Well, Udagawa is a dead end in the UG, right?" said Ike. "That means it must have entered Shibuya here, otherwise Kariya would of seen it come past earlier."

"Huh.. impressive, Ike. Didn't know you could use your brain like that" remarked Alice. She was examining the Graffiti that covered the wall. A mural by 'CAT', a street artist that hanged around Shibuya. He had a few murals around the district, but this was by far his most famous.

"Well excuuuse me, Officer, maybe next time I'll just sit back and enjoy some Ramen."

"Still" Shiro started "Why would it turn up here? Theres gotta be some reason a Noise can somehow enter the UG of its own accord. The location has to have something to do with it."

Alice seemed to ponder for a moment, before saying "Have you guys ever heard the story of the Realm Anchor?"

"I haven't, no" replied Shiro

"Well.. Ike can tell you about it while I finish up looking at this"

"No can do mam, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about" replied a voice from the roof of the nearby Cyco Records.

Alice sighed, then began. "Well, i'll tell you then. Listen up Ike, you need to know this! ("Whatever sis"). Well, you know that the various grounds overlap each other, right? The RG on the bottom, then the UG, then the Higher Plane. Well, the item that holds these simultaneous existances together here is called the Realm Anchor. Its apparently a statue in the very bottom Ground that holds each realm in place, so they can't seperate or drift."

The story was interesting, but Shiro noticed a problem with it. "Wait, if the statue is in the bottom Ground, they wouldn't it be here?" he asked.

"Well.. no. They say there is one more realm, that exists below the UG. It is the 'NoiseGround', the original home of the Noise."

Ike, hopping down from his perch, said "Now THIS one I know man. Though its all myth, don't believe it at all. I don't really believe any of these old Reaper stories"

"Says the legendary guy who slaughtered over 80 players to get a Pin" said Alice.

"...Thats personal. Its not just 'some pin'."

Shiro was intrigued by the new revelation. "You mean.. that story is true?"

Ike seemed to think about something for a second, and then pulled out a small pin and handed it to Shiro. The pin had the pattern of the Noise Fox on it, though unlike the summoning pin, the fox was colored, and the background was black.

"My partner.. from the game I was in. She was.. killed by a Noise, an ambush set up by some Reaper, and tied her soul to that. He taunted me saying that he'd give me the pin if I erased every other played in the game. So.. I did it. Killed him too for good measure. I joined the Reapers so I could use it but.."

"..you can't get it to work huh?" finished Shiro.

"I can summon any other Noise fine but, this one, I dunno, it just won't work for me."

The group stood in silence for a while.

"Well.." Alice started, "I'll tell you more about the NoiseGround a bit later, yeah? Right now I could go for some food. Mexican Dog sound good to you guys?"

Ike pretended to choke. "Really girl, how do you like that stuff? Ramen mannn, Ramen."

"I'm fine with that.. as long as Ike pays for it" Shiro replied.

Alice smiled and nodded in agreement. "What an excellent idea Shiro, I think I could go for some free Ramen as well."

"W-Wha.. you.. oh whatever then, let's go"

() () ()

The three of them sat atop 104, eating their ramen and looking out over the Scramble. The few remaining players were just finishing up, disappearing into a blue light to await the next day.

"It feels like such a long time ago when I was the helpless girl running to 104."

"It kinda was, Alice. Its been about 4 years now, right?"

Shiro's memories were much more vivid of his battle for survival, but he decided to listen to Alice's and Ike's old tales of their battles and hardships before jumping ship to this side of the game.

"I'm gonna head off and write up some reports on what we covered today then. Ciao"

And with that, Alice span on the spot and disappeared.

"I need to get myself one of those teleport pins.."

"Ike, I doubt anyone would give you one considering how much more of a mess you can make if you can warp at will"

"Hah, yeah probably"

The two sat in silence for a while, staring at the parts of the large Tokyo beyond Shibuya.

"Well we made minimal progress today, didn't we?" asked Ike

"Yeah, I guess so" answered Shiro.

Ike finished his Ramen and stood up. "We're gonna solve this thing!"

"Wait, since when do you care?"

"I'm gonna show up that Zio prick and prove that I can get shit done. The guy thinks all I do is muck around"

"But that IS all you do"

"He doesn't need to know that"

() () ()

The Back Streets of Udagawa were as silent as ever, a dead end location that was rarely visited by Human or Player. Except tonight, there was one man, looking over the large mural that decorated the wall. This was the man's first visit to Shibuya, but he wasn't here for sightseeing or shopping.

The man had only one goal in mind.

"I'll get you for what you did to my grandfather all those years ago..."

"..Yoshiya Kiryu."

() () () () ()

-a NOISE unlike sound-

::Day End::


	2. Part 02: pieces of the PUZZLES

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 1, Day 2

[pieces of the PUZZLES]

() () () () ()

The story of how Shiro met Ike wasn't as exciting as some people may think.

Shiro was a normal player, and Ike, being Ike, messed with him as he made his way through the week. However, something about Shiro caught Ike's attention. He made an effort to keep an eye on him as he progressed. Shiro was also interested in Ike, and the Reaper's in general.

On the 4th Day of that week, Shiro's partner was erased. Feared of being erased himself, he searched out Ike and asked what he could do to survive. The rest should be obvious from here.

Shiro became a Harrier under the supervision of Ike. He learnt to share the laidback lifestyle of his new job, and quickly got used to it. For being the Bad Guy, the role was rather easy and simple. Reaperhood was a welcome change to his life.

() () ()

Shiro glanced at his phone.

'Mission: Solve the Puzzle on the Streets of Shibuya. Time Limit: 3 Hours'

He was watching over the piece left at Towa Records.

Todays mission was basically a literal puzzle; there were 10 pieces in all. A Reaper stood guard over each piece, and gave a challenge to the pact or pacts who come to retrieve it.

After the Puzzle is assembled in the Scramble, the picture (2 Doom Metal Drakes) will emerge and the entire playerbase will have to fight them. Usually a Drake wouldn't be Day 2 material, but the large amount of players would guarentee that they win, and lose few.

() () ()

Shiro was just considering the risk of walking off for a Soda when a pair of Players turned up.

"Hey you fractal, give us the puzzle piece" the boy said. He wore a red bandanna over his rough, messy brown hair. A white singlet and long black jeans. The player next to him, a girl in her twenties, looked like the generic fashion slave; long black hair, pink shirt with the words 'Keeping it REAL - Pavo Real' branded across the front, a questionably short blue skirt, and impressively, very stylish high heel shoes.

"You want it you have to finish the task I give you" said Shiro.

"So tell us what it is!"

'Man, does he have to yell?' was Shiro's thought. "Well okay, lets keep it simple. Turn Pegaso into the top brand in this area."

"W-What! Pegaso! You know how expensive that shit is?"

'Thats the idea, moron'

"Grr.. c'mon Sasha, lets go grind some Yen" said the boy, as the pair walked away.

'Heh, next players that turn up i'll give an easy task, just to piss that brat kid off more. What the hell is a 'fractal' anyway..'

() () ()

Less than half an hour later, the sounds of Drakes filled the city.

Shiro and Ike were watching the chaos from the top of Q Floor.

"Oh, there goes another one. Wonder what he'll do.. oh, he's pacted with that other guy that lost his partner earlier"

"Huh, I didn't expect the Player Death count to be this high Ike"

"Really? I think its still low. Oh hey, they took down one of the drakes!"

"Though they've barely touched the other one, I reckon we'll lose about 6 more players."

"Hmm.. you wanna go sc-"

"No Ike, you summon any more Noise down there and there going to realise those Boomers were from us."

"Eeh.. good point."

() () ()

"Todays casualties included 14 players among the Drake fight. An additional 2 were killed during a challenge for a puzzle piece and 2 more were killed by a Jungle Boomer that seemed to have been summoned for no real reason"

Alice was briefing the Reapers on todays events.

"I think she knows" whispered Ike

"No shit, sherlock, I'm pretty sure she watched you do it." replied Shiro.

Alice continued "This leaves a total of 26 Players, 13 pacts, in the game. That is all, Conductor sir."

"Thank you Alice, you may sit down."

Zio Lee looked as though he had something weighing on his mind. "Last night, the Composer felt a presence inside the UG. Human, but very powerful. He wants everyone on full alert, but to proceed with the game as usual."

"Wait, Conductor sir". A Black standing near the back of the room spoke up. "Is this guy dangerous at all? I mean, if someone very powerful has broken into the UG, there's gotta be a reason right?"

Another man, a Red Shiro recognised as Kariya, said "Yeah sir.. I mean I can't be the only one here who thinks this doesn't sound too good for us."

Zio Lee mumbled something under his breath, seemingly unsure of what to say. However, Kakeru stepped in.

"All of you are not to worry about it. We'll deal it with it, you guys focus on keeping the game running smoothly. If you see someone reacting to the UG that you're not familiar with, or someone who stands out yet RG people don't notice him, alert an Officer or Harrier immediately. Meeting dismissed."

() () ()

"So last week we have an unsummoned Noise turn up by itself, and now we have some weird guy wandering around Shibuya? There's gotta be some connection there.."

"Hmm, I didn't think about it like that Alice."

Alice and Shiro were patrolling the streets of Shibuya, and were currently watching the RG crowd wander under Miyashita Park.

"There's definently something going on we don't know about..."

"You look worried, Alice. Its not like you."

Alice looked at Shiro for a second, before laughing.

"Mmm.. yeah, you're right. We'll be fine. Nothing's gonna mess with me, I'll tell you that."

() () () () ()

-pieces of the PUZZLES-

::Day End::


	3. Part 03: a STORY of old

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week -1612, Day 5

[a STORY of old]

() () () () ()

For the first time in nearly 70 years, Yoshiya Kiryu was actually feeling nervous.

Today he was to meet with the Noise King, Weveryn, to discuss a contract to use the 'Noise' in his competition 'The Reapers Game'.

When he beat the previous Composer, he swore to make changes to how the Game works. Right now, Reapers and Players were at constant war, and there were too many 'deaths' on both sides. After all these years, he had discovered the world known as the 'NoiseGround', many frequencies below the RealGround. As he studied the Noise, he learnt the various ways of how they work; their various species and types, their unique appearances, the powers they control. The most interesting thing though, was that they seemed to be born from the remains of Soul that seeped through frequencies after a Player was erased.

If Yoshiya could use these, he could spare more Reaper lives and also create a fair playing ground for Players. But... how could he? Moving large groups to the UnderGround could work, but it would be impossible to keep them all under control.

And while pondering this, he came across his most interesting discovery of all. A child.. like human, but definitely Noise in species. If it wasn't for the marks on her arms and face, Yoshiya would have mistaken this child for a human who wondered in.

The child noticed him. It watched and observed him, as he did it. The child then stood, and approached him. On closer inspection, Yoshiya discovered this child was a girl.

She stopped in front of him.

"Who.. are you?"

The same language he spoke. It seems the language is shared, possibly because of the overlapping frequencies in the same space.

"My name is Yoshiya. What is yours?"

"Lytria"

"Are there others like you, Lytria?"

"Everyone is like me. Are there more Yoshiya's?"

"Yes, but they are not here"

"Ooh..."

Lytria, Yoshiya thought, was learning. These Human-Noise seemed to be intelligent like Humans. These unique Noise, unlike others, animals, were smart.

"Where are the others like you, Lytria?"

"In the Castle."

"Can you take me there?"

"Okay!"

And so the pair travelled across the beautiful, fantasy landscape. The Castle loomed in the distance.

() () ()

Months had passed since that day. He had built up a reputation among the Human-Noise. Their way of life was pretty much identical to ours; where we would eat meat from cows, they eat from Noise-Cow. The only real difference was that pigs seemed to be a rarity, but the older people said it's just because they're a pain to catch.

The Humans and Human-Noise were very similar, and thus, they shared one key pillar.

Trust.

Yoshiya was now trusted amongst the NoiseGround. Now, he thought, the King may just grant him a favour.

() () ()

Even though Yoshiya himself was a man of high control and power, he could not stop himself feeling overwhelmed by Weveryn's sheer presence. The atmosphere was different.

"Speak, Yoshiya Kiryu, of the other world. What is it that you seek?"

He had to be careful how he approached this.

"Your Majesty, I wish to ask if the Noise Animals may be used for my personal service. You see, I run a Game of sorts in my world, but humans battle other humans, and there is always so much death. The Noise.. they could create a fair playing ground for the humans there and so more can live."

"A Game, you say?"

"Yes, it is a game for people who have died, where winners can return to life. It is called The Reapers Game."

"The Reapers Game, hmm"

Yoshiya was sure that he would agree. The Human-Noise seemed to have a thing for life, and did not like the idea of permanent death.

"Then.. I will teach you how to summon the Noise using Soul"

"Ah.. thank you, your Majesty"

"However, I have two conditions."

Of course he did. "Name them, and they will be done"

"First, you must not create Noise like us. Only the lower animals may be used."

"Yes, your Majesty." That was part of the plan, anyway.

"Second, only you, Yoshiya Kiryu, may summon the Noise."

That, however, was not. However, there was no way he could argue.

"Of course. I will watch over the Noise myself."

() () ()

And so, Yoshiya was taught how to gather loose Soul and tie them to a physical form. He returned to the UnderGround in order to show his new plan, and the power he was given.

And so the first new Noise was born.


	4. Part 04: a PATH to truth

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 1, Day 3

[a PATH to truth]

() () () () ()

"...and thats how the story goes."

For part of their investigation, Shiro, Ike and Alice had decided to fully investigate the relationship between the Reapers and the Noise. Unable to talk to the Conductor, Alice approached the next best thing; Reaper Veteran Kakeru.

"Question!"

"Yes, Alice?"

"The deal was that only the Composer himself could summon Noise. Why is that no longer the case?"

"Well, no-one is really sure. I assume thats where we had our falling out. If you really needed to know, I guess you could ask the Conductor."

"Oh boy, just what we need" said Ike, sitting in the background.

Shiro wondered about the events that took place thirty years ago. The NoiseGround, The Castle, and most importantly, the Human-Noise. Which lead him to his conclusion.

"We need to talk to Lytria."

The room fell silent.

"I see.." as Alice broke the silence "..she's the only one we know of that could definently confirm the story."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Kakeru's words shook the room.

"This story is nothing but rumour. Falsities made by previous Reapers. There is no NoiseGround."

() () ()

"Man, Kakeru can be just as much of a pain too, eh?"

"Shutup and focus on the mission."

Today's mission was to find three Easterraven. Ike and Shiro were watchers, over the Shibu Q zone. They were to report which Pact killed the target here.

"Observation is boring!"

"At least we're not doing some sort of Recon Mission"

"Heh, yeah that would probably suck"

...

"Oh hey, players"

Shiro looked down to where Ike was pointing, and saw a familiar pair. The two Players from yesterday had entered Shibu Q and had started seeking out the Noise.

"Can I throw a Shark a-" "No" "Aww.. booooring"

...

"...Fractal, huh"

() () ()

As night fell on Shibuya, the mysterious man made his move. Moving among the sleeping bodies of Players, he headed across the Scramble and through the Bus Exit.

Station Underpass was empty besides a few homeless people arguing over a child, but of course, they couldn't see him. But, he found his progress blocked by an invisible wall of sorts.

"What Magic be this.."

He slammed his fists against the wall, but to no avail.

"Grr.. What must be done to open this infernal barrier"

And so the man slipped back into the night, to plan his next move.

() () ()

"I think.. he's gone.."

Dead God's Pad stood silent, the only sounds were the rushing of water from the nearby Shibuya River.

Kakeru was the first to regain his composure.

"Get Drakes and Ravens in the sky! Find that person as soon as possible!"

"He came straight for us.."

"Kariya, get in contact with the Reapers still on the field. Make sure everyone is accounted for. They're probably trying to figure out how the walls work, so he can't know about the Keypin's. Be wary when you use them from now on."

Alice and Shiro met at the back of the room.

"Who the hell is this guy.."

"This person, and the rogue noise, I think they're related Shiro."

"..well, you'd know better than anyone."

"Tell Ike that tomorrow we're going to search the Gamefield for them."

The conversation was interrupted by an announcement that they were free to leave, and so the crowd of Reapers moved back out to the city.

Shiro's thoughts were still on Lytria. Was she maybe the intruder? No-one had any clear report on who or what was attacking them.

The mystery continued.

() () () () ()

-a PATH to truth-

::Day End::


	5. Part 05: the CROSSROADS between realms

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 1, Day 6

[the CROSSROADS between realms]

() () () () ()

The Investigation had hit a standstill.

After the loud arrival of the intruder three days ago, no-one was able to even find a trace of the person. Shiro, Ike and Alice had searched every corner of the Gamefield to no avail. Kakeru was in contact with the other three Reapers Games, but there hadn't even been a tiny spot of his vibe outside of Shibuya.

And so, the trio had ended up back at Udagawa with no clear purpose. Alice was looking over the artwork that adorned the huge wall. Ike was sleeping on top of the nearby Cyco Records, and Shiro was staring at his Keypin.

The three were out of leads.

() () ()

The meeting with Zio Lee they had wanted had finally happened yesterday.

...

"What you two are about to hear is Top Secret. You must keep this amongst the investigation team."

The two of them expected something like that, but it still gave them a bit of a shock.

And if I have to point out the two meant Shiro and Alice, and not Ike, you haven't been paying attention.

"The first thing I will say is that the NoiseGround does exist. The story that Kakeru told you is true."

Alice seemed deep in thought, so Shiro was the first to respond. "All of it?"

"All of it."

"So, the Human-Noise.."

"Is most likely the intruder. No, definitely. I have no doubts about this."

Alice finally spoke up. "So, this person came to here from the NoiseGround. The Rogue Noise most likely came here the same way. Probably as a test run? So maybe there's a portal of some sort. Where is the portal.."

"You figured all that out just then?"

"I need to be able to think fast like that, Shiro. I'm an Officer."

Zio Lee rubbed his chin. "A Portal.. could work. If the Noise had created that kind of thing I wouldn't be surprised."

"Have you seen the NoiseGround before, Conductor sir?"

"No Alice, I have not. The only way of getting there was to lower your Vibe and drop through to the lower Frequency. Only the Composer has that kind of power."

"And Human-Noise can't change their Vibe, otherwise we would have seen them here before.."

"That appears to be the case, yes."

"But one is here now. Meaning they created some way of getting here."

...

"So they're thinking with portals, huh? How would they make something like that?"

"That's what I wonder too, Shiro. The only way that would be possible is if there was a direct connection from this Ground to their Ground."

() () ()

"Some sort of Portal.. both the Noise and the Intruder entered the UnderGround from here in Udagawa.. Portal.."

Alice moved her hand across the mural.

"Huh.. hey Shiro, come over here."

Shiro got to his feet, and went to see what Alice had wanted. Alice pointed to the hand on the Grim Reaper. There were six small indentations on the wall where the hand was painted.

"They seem about the size of a Pin.."

"How many different Keypins are there?" Alice had a very visible smile on her face now.

"Er.. 4 or 5 ain't it?"

"Ah, damn.. there are six slots."

"Maybe a Six-Pin set?"

"Hmm.. the only one I can think of is the Darklit Planets. But they're like.. impossible to get. Even Kakeru has only ever had one of them, and he's been here forever"

"Maybe we could ask Zio to get them for us?"

"No.. Pins are under the control of the 13 Brands. We set a Psych to each pin design, but that's it."

"So we have to find them ourselves huh.."

"Seems like it.."

"Well at least we know where to start."

() () ()

"No."

"W-Why not, Kakeru?"

"Because this NoiseGround stuff is bullshit!"

"Maaaan Kakeru, stop being a pain."

"Ike, shut up. I'm not giving you a Dark lit Planet just because of some assumption."

"But-"

"But nothing, Shiro. Find your own damn pins."

Kakeru was in a foul mood, and he walked off without saying another word.

"Guess we should work on the other five, then?"

"Yeah but, where the hell do we look for 'em?"

"Dunno.. guess we'll just explore. Wonder how Alice is goi-"*SLAM*

The source of this loud noise was Alice herself, who had just arrived back at the hidden Reaper Base.

"Err.." Ike decided to be the one to speak. "How'd you go?"

"I found one at that new shop in Dogenzaka. But that.. stupid, stupid shopkeeper.."

"Hm?"

"The guy wouldn't sell it to me! He just kept going 'Not Selling'. That's all he said. Every time. Even all the other stuff in his shop. Not Selling. What's the damn point of having a shop if you won't sell anything in it!?"

"Hoho Alice, you seem ma-"

"Ike, if you open your goddamn mouth again I will cut you in half and tie your Soul to a Sprog."

"...noted"

"The Pin he had was Black Venus. Did you find out what Kakeru has?"

"Black Saturn."

"Well.. I'm going to bed. We'll do some more scouting tomorrow. Oh, tomorrow's Day 7, so don't do anything stupid."

...

"So, 2 of 6. Cool."

"Well really its 0 of 6."

"Ehh, yeah. Whelp, see ya tomorrow kiddo."

"See ya, Ike."

() () ()

"The Prince has been missing for six days now."

The Table of Government inside the Castle of Noise was alive with activity.

The Chancellor stood, and spoke. "Princess Ethala, do you know where he could have gone?"

"Hmph, who cares where that idiot is.."

"E-Ethala.. show some care for the last remaining member of your family.."

"No. Abandon him. As the final member of the Noise Royalty, I am in charge now."

"Princess, you're brother isn't de-"

"He's not coming back!"

...

"You do know where he is, don't you."

"...he used the Anchor to jump into that Human world.."

The table became full of discussion and banter at these words. The last time anyone tried to touch the human world, the young Princess Kyara was lost, and the time before that.. King Corinthis was murdered..

"Everyone, silence!" ... "So.. Prince Khai has gone to the Human World.. do you know the reason?"

"To kill Yoshiya Kiryu."

"We must send support of some kind.."

"You will not! Leave him to his own methods.. What he's doing is fine by me.."

"Wait.. if you're fine with what he's doing, why are you so angry at him?"

"Isn't it obvious..."

Ethala's eyes glared across the room before continuing.

"Because.. he gets the satisfaction of killing Human Filth before I do! And he leaves me here to do this boring Royalty work!? How dare he!? I want to kill Humans too! All of them! I want to kill!"

"E-Ethala.."

"They betrayed my Grandfather, they killed my Father, and they stole my baby sister...

...Yoshiya Kiryu.. all humans.. must pay!"

() () () () ()

-the CROSSROADS between realms-

::Day End::


	6. Part 06: a day FLAMES away

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 1, Day 7

[a day FLAMES away]

() () () () ()

The final day.

That one time of week where Ike would leave everyone alone because he got to do whatever he want. He's apparently the reason for the low success rate in winning the Game.

Unlike others, Shiro simply observed today's events from the roof of 104. There were... about 6 or 7 pacts alive. He figured by the time Ike was done, and all the other Reapers, there would be 2 pacts left. Dunno if they would beat the GM though.

This week's Game Master was one Ryotaro Hijiro, 37 year old male who was once a children's entertainment designer. Explained the weird-ass puzzle, probably. Apparently the bets on him within the lower Reapers secret gambling house were very high on him to lose. Shiro himself hadn't met the guy, so he politely declined the offer to take a stab at it.

() () ()

The real job today, however, was to make sure their nasty guest didn't try anything while everyone was busy. Alice and Kakeru were out in Shinjuku for the quarterly Reapers Conference, were they talked about little boring details no-one really cares about but are actually keeping everything running smoothly.

So Shiro sat and watched the clouds roll by, occasionally picking at his bowl of Miso Ramen.

"What a wonderful world."

() () ()

And that's when it happened.

The sun suddenly disappeared and the Scramble went dark. Shiro looked down to see what was going on, but the crowds crossing the streets seemed to be unaware of any changes. Which meant...

The sky was ripped open by a terrible screech.

Looking up, Shiro saw a large dragon, hovering itself in front of the sun. It was Noise, but nothing that had ever been seen before.

Before he could think of anything else, the dragon swooped down and landed in the Scramble. It roared and attacked, sending flames across the streets, killing a Player and Reaper. The now pact-less player seemed to panic, and was crushed under the monster's foot.

Reapers appeared on the rooftops surrounding the Scramble Crossing. Watching the chaos unfold, one of them raised his hand and yelled "Execute Action 47".

Action 47, also known as 'NPC Visor'. It slightly heightens the UG's vibe, making the Human's not appear in the area. It opens visibility for emergency situations. An added effect is, apparently, total confusion of an unaware enemy. The Dragon stopped its attacks, looking around itself and wondering where his prey had gone.

The chance to strike had appeared. Flames and lightning streamed down and the Dragon was pinned under the attacks. Shaking it off, he started to move his wings, preparing to take flight. We had the disadvantage if he was in the sky.

And this is when Ike chose to turn up. The force of air from the Dragon's wings knocked his Ramen bowl from his hands into the air, and crashing into the road behind him. Visibly pissed off, he said something Shiro couldn't hear from his place, and - very Ike-ishly - charged towards the Dragon.

His body started to glow with electricity, and was slowly focused into his arm. Dodging the flames shot from the beast's mouth, he took off and jumped towards the monsters face.

"LIGHTNINNNGGGG HOOOOOOOKKKKKKK!"

As his fist connected with the bottom of the Dragon's head, the lightning force exploded through his arm and knocked the dragon into the air, crashing back into the ground a ways away. It struggled up, and began to take off again. This time, Ike jumped on to its back and they both moved into the air. The dragon struggled, trying to get him off, and started flying towards where Shiro was.

"...huh?"

Before he knew it, Shiro was in the air. Looking up, he saw Ike had grabbed him, and pulled him up.

"What the hell are you doing Ike?"

"Well see I got the Soul Chains around the Dragon to capture it, right"

Shiro looked around to notice the glowing purple chains that circled parts of the Dragon's body. "I can see that, yeah."

"Well I got it all done and that, but then I realized I didn't have any Blank Pins. Can I borrow one of yours?"

"I don't have any you idiot, they don't give them to Trainee Harriers!"

"Oh. Well in that case, hold on to something."

The Dragon took a dive and started moving across Shibuya, blasting Drakes and Ravens out of the way. Flying towards the back of Shibuya, Shiro realized what was going on.

"It's heading towards Udagawa!"

"Oh, nice catch Shiro"

"You need to take this a little more seriously!"

"...nah..."

The Dragon zoomed straight towards the Udagawa Mural, and the wall started to light up. A crack, down the middle of the wall, brightly glowed.

And it front of it, determined to stop it, was Alice.

Holding up a pin, the plan was instantly known between the three of them. Shiro jumped off the Dragon onto the nearby building. Ike, pulling on the chains, worked to annoy the dragon and slow it down.

Alice ran towards them, and Ike threw part of the Soul Chain out. Shiro leaped and grabbed it, pulling it down towards the ground. Ike shot Lightning Rook through the Dragon, and it crashed into the roads, but didn't stop moving. Crawling towards the Udagawa Mural, it was stopped on the staircase. Alice stood in front of him. The Dragon, overwhelmed by Alice's sheer presence, slowly moved a little backwards, an Alice took the chance to kick it, sending it far backwards.

Shiro took his shot, and threw the chain.

Alice held the pin up again, and the chain hit it straight on. Glowing, the chain started to be pulled into the pin, and the dragon pulled with it. Resisting until the last, the Dragon pulled back, determined not to let itself lose.

"Soul Shatter."

Alice muttered these two words, and the Dragon exploded, becoming a mess of data and soul. The chains reeled in faster, and the entire being was captured into the pin.

() () ()

"My chains, therefore it's my catch."

"Even if you did catch it yourself, there's no way in hell I'd let YOU of all people keep this Noise! And what the hell were you two doing anyway!?"

Shiro immediately answered that "Ike literally dragged me into it", and so Ike not-surprisingly got all the blame.

"But still, where did it come from..."

"It started heading here as soon as it realized it was in trouble. And then, the wall..."

The three looked back towards the Udagawa Mural. Alice examined it, and sure enough, a very thin crack ran down the entire length of the wall, through the middle of the six slots found the other day.

"I guess this is as good confirmation as any..."

() () ()

"Then we truly do have a problem."

Zio Lee and Kakeru were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Where Zio seemed rather calm about the whole ideal, Kakeru was in a panic.

"So..." Kakeru started, "The Noise Ground has declared war on us. The person out there is one of these Human-Noise, but we don't know the actual identity of him or her."

"That appears to be the case."

Alice was again deep in thought. "Do we have ANY info on the person?"

"...no. I'm afraid we don't..."

...

"Well, in any case, Day 7 ran successfully. The three of you dealt with our visitor very effectively. Shiro, you're promoted to Harrier. No longer a Trainee. However, I want you to stay with Ike. Your teamwork is very good. To the both of you, I'm officially assigning you to Alice. You three are now Reaper Squad 12."

"Thank you, Conductor sir."

"Rest up, a new week begins in four days and you need to be in top form to keep up with this case."

"Oh, and Shiro." Kakeru stepped forward, and threw a pin towards him. Catching it, he opened his hand to see Black Saturn.

"Thank you, Kakeru."

"Don't let us down, Shiro Shinda."

() () () () ()

-a day FLAMES away-

::Day End::


	7. Part 07: a few PEACEFUL days

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week Gap, Day 3

[a few PEACEFUL days]

() () () () ()

"We've been able to confirm the intruder is male. He has long, blue-ish hair and wears a white jacket with red stripes. He has some... markings on his face. They're kinda similar to Noisemarks."

The weekly meeting. All the main Reaper staff were present, plus a select group of Harriers and a few new recruits. This was the first time Shiro and Ike got to attend as official members, as an official squad under Alice.

"He was last spotted on the previous Day 7. He hasn't been sighted in this three day gap. Speaking of which, the next Week will begin the day after tomorrow. We have a total count of 38 Players entering the game, we're predicting around 15 pacts after the initial Pre-Pact confusion ends. Ryotaro will continue as Game Master for this week."

"Excellent." Ryotaro himself spoke up from the side of the room. "I was rather annoyed at the interference of my performance the other day."

"As for Reaper duties, the Support Director will be Sasami Tashamora, replacing Minagi Fuyuki after her erasure last week during the Dragon Incident. New Reaper recruit Sho Minamimoto will be under the apprenticeship of Koki Kariya. Squad 12; Alice, Shiro and Ike, will continue the Noise Investigation, now including the Dragon and our Intruder. As an additional note, if possible, collect the Black Planets. I know it's generally against our rules to interfere in the Pin Economy, especially for such a rare set, but we need them for the investigation. Please hand them to Alice if you find any. Dismissed!"

Zio Lee ended the meeting, and the groups split to head back to the streets of Shibuya.

() () ()

"Hey, Fractal, wait up."

'...I know that voice...'

Shiro, leaving the Station Underpass, was stopped by a phrase that confused him last week. Turning around, he faced the boy wearing the red bandana he encountered on Day 2.

"You're... Sho, then?"

"A-plus for you, Harrier. Name's Sho Minamimoto, and you better remember it because you'll be hearing it a lot."

'Sure I will.'

"Shirooo, c'mon!" - A voice from behind him.

"Well, see ya around, Sho."

"Yeah, I hope I do, Shiro."

It felt like a rivalry had been formed.

() () ()

"One of six. We got Black Saturn off Kakeru."

"Right, he gave it to you on Day 7. And Alice found Black Venus at that shop at Dogenzaka."

Alice had been visiting the shop every day since she found it, but was still having no luck getting the shopkeeper to budge.

"..."

"..."

"…but the other four still haven't been sighted."

"Yeah..."

Shiro and Ike were 'patrolling' the shops around the Scramble and Center St. Alice had sent them out to search for the Black Planets, but after doing it for their entire gap period, they had given up. None of the other shops in Shibuya had them, so the duo had decided to take it easy for their last two days.

They had also considered it smarter not to get in Alice's line of fury after seeing her power last week, and left the Dogenzaka shop to her.

And so, they were casually exploring the store fronts of Shibuya.

"New kid seems like a brat, eh Shiro?"

"I guess..."

"You know him? You guys started chatting pretty quickly."

"He was a Player last week. I met him on Day 2."

"Err."

"The puzzle one."

"Hmm."

"We threw random Noise in during the Boss Fight."

"That could be any day."

"Eh, whatever."

"Is he cool?"

"He called me a Fractal."

"A what?"

"You wouldn't know, but it's a math term."

"...what are you implying there, Shinda?"

"Oh nothing, nothi- hey, let go of me!"

() () () () ()

Week Gap, Day 4

() () () () ()

The final day of the gap was met with rain, which stopped most of the activities in the district. Even the RG was scarce with people.

"I say we steal it."

"Alice, we're not stealing a pin from a shop."

"But he won't let me have it!"

"...stop pouting; I'm not going to agree to it."

It was rare for Alice to be in a mood like this, and it was probably lucky Ike wasn't around to see it.

"Shiiroooo… we need that pin."

"How much have you offered the guy?"

"...two million yen."

"And he's not taking that!?"

"He seems to value his collection of useless objects. There was even a little bow I wanted but he wouldn't sell that either."

"That's weird."

"How is his shop even still in business? Over the last five days only one other person has walked in there, and he was rejected as well."

"Hmm.."

"Where is Ike anyway?"

"Probably singing in the rain somewhere. Who knows with that guy."

() () ()

'shit shit shit shit shit shit'

Ike was, however, in an unexpected predicament.

Coming back from Ramen Don, Ike had stepped into the area surrounding 104 to see the Blue-haired visitor in the distance looking out at the scramble.

'He hasn't seen me... but I can't get to the River while he's there... Maybe I could Metal Gear Solid my way through this..."

Ike started to slowly move across staying close to the buildings. He still hadn't noticed.

() () ()

Alice and Shiro's chat was interrupted by Kakeru entering the room.

"Where the hell is Ike?"

"No idea Kakeru, we haven't seen him all day."

"Dammit, the intruder has been spotted near 104."

"...that's dangerously close to the Ramen store."

"Alice, Shiro, get out there now!"

"Right!" "Right!"

() () ()

The bolts of lightning were redirected by the rain, and his attacks were missing.

"Dammit..."

Close-range attacks were no good, since the man would throw him back with ease. Ike couldn't use his Lightning Hook technique.

"Lightning Rook!"

Miss again.

He kept walking closer.

"Then..."

'Please... Mai...'

"NOISE SUMMON!"

...

Nothing...

"Why... why won't you help me...? Mai!"

"Your emotions aren't strong enough."

"...w-what?"

The man was talking to him.

"What do you mean... not strong enough?"

"You're not focused. You need to keep your mind clear and in control in order to create a Noise."

...

"Why are you helping me?"

"You are not my enemy. I am here for Yoshiya Kiryu."

"Why?"

The man glanced at Ike.

"You... like questions, don't you?"

"Hmph."

"You, Reapers, will stop me getting to Yoshiya?"

"...I guess that's probably in the job description somewhere."

"Heh. Then next time we meet, I'll fight a bit harder. See you, Reaper."

"It's Ike."

"Hmm. Well, Ike, I'll see you around. My name is Khai."

"Bye then."

As Khai walked away towards Dogenzaka, Shiro and Alice came running into his field of view.

"You two took your time."

"Shutup... we ran... from the Pad..."

Alice, as always, was straight to business. "Where's the intruder gone?"

"Khai? I dunno, over that way somewhere."

"Khai?"

"We exchanged names."

"I see..."

() () ()

"Good info scouting Ike. I'm impressed."

"No problem man, I'd give my all for the sake of the Reapers."

"Bugger off, you just happened to run into the guy."

"Ssh."

"That'll be all, you two."

"Thanks Kakeru."

...

"Such a fricken hero aren't you, Ike?"

"Eh, shutup. Not my fault he just decided to talk to me instead of fight."

"...that is pretty weird."

"Mm."

"So... he's after the Composer. Wonder why."

"I guess it's our job to find out."

() () () () ()

-a few PEACEFUL days-

::Day End::


	8. Part 08: the day PROMISES died

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week -1584, Day 6

[the day PROMISES died]

() () () () ()

"Maroda, I really don't have the time to do this."

"Come, Composer sir, we don't have much of a choice in the matter."

Yoshiya Kiryu, Composer of the Shibuya Reapers Game, and his Conductor, Maroda Ririo, stood atop the Shibuya 104 Building, as Yoshiya sent Noise into the world below.

Seven months had passed since he was granted the ability to use the Noise in the Reapers Game. Since then, the international games were provided with the same service. Many more Player and Reaper lives had been spared in the new way of competition.

But today..

"I have to go meet this new Producer in.. less than 10 minutes. We're not going to have enough Noise for a Day 6."

"Nothing we can do.."

Wasn't there..?

"..Yes there is."

"E-excuse me, Composer sir?"

"Look, these pins here are pre-written Summon Pins. You should be able to work it out with the pictures and a little experimentation. I have to go."

"I am to summon the Noise, Composer sir?"

"For today, yes."

"Well.. okay. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks, Maroda."

() () ()

But that was only the start.

() () ()

"Composer sir! We're running out of House Rhino for the Player's mission!"

"I can't come out right now, Maroda..!"

"But we need more Noi-"

"A Harrier reported this, right?"

"Y-Yes sir."

"Give him the pin for that Noise. Tell him to watch from the buildings and resupply them as needed."

"But.. we can't.."

"Maroda!"

"Y-Yes sir.."

() () ()

"The Reapers seemed to like that pin."

"I thought they might."

"That Harrier, he shared it around with other harriers who were on watch with him.."

"That's fine."

"...yes sir."

"Maroda."

"..What is it, Composer sir?"

"I'm going away for a week. There's business in Russia I have to attend to, regarding the new Reapers Game being started there."

"A.. A whole week, sir?"

"You're in charge. The summon pins are in the case over there."

"I am to summon the Noise, sir?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..What?"

"I.. don't think I should.."

"You want a week of no Noise?"

"No.. but.. the agreement.."

"That was then. Right now, I need you to this."

"..."

"Well?"

"..I can't, sir."

"...then you can go find something else to do."

"! C-Composer sir.."

"Out!"

"...yes.. sir.."

Disagreeing with a Composer out loud was one thing, but for a Conductor to flat out disobey him was a capital offence.

"These stupid conditions..."

() () ()

"You... requested my presence.. Composer sir?"

"Yes. You're the Harrier that reported the lack of Noise the other day, right?"

"Y-Yes sir.."

The man was clearly from a chinese background, and his build could almost make one think he just walked out of the Yakuza.

"What did you think of the Noise Summoning?"

"Er... well, I didn't think it was that simple. Since you're the only one who does it, we all thought it was some super complicated technique."

"It was slightly time consuming, originally. The idea of pre-writing the summoning into a pin came from my previous Conductor, and it really simplified things..."

"Previous? You haven't had a new Conductor since we started using Noise..."

"Regrettably, Maroda has fallen back to Officer. I am currently Conductor-less."

"R-Really?"

"So have you figured out why I summoned you here?"

"Me? But... i'm hardly worth-"

"Your track record is phenominal, you show unwavering loyalty and commitment, you're a powerfully skilled fighter, and you're willing to break rules for the better long-term. You couldn't be more perfect."

"Well, if you'll have me, sir, I would gladly become your sword and shield, and your voice."

"State your name."

"Lee. Zio Lee."

"Kneel."

Zio Lee quickly knelt at his place in front of the Composer's Throne. Yoshiya stood, and walked over to him, summoning a spear of light. He held the spear on Zio's shoulder.

"By the gift of the Angels, and my power as a Composer, I ask of you this; To my compositions, my works, and my word, will you be there to Conduct this harmony of power, to control this mission of fate, in the final verse of life?"

"I will."

"Then, Zio Lee, inside this hall, this Room of Reckoning, I grant you the authority over my orchestra of black wings, and decree you the Conductor of the songs of life and death. Serve well, now and forever."

() () () () ()

-the day PROMISES died-

::Day End::


	9. Part 09: a princess in PINK

THE WORLD I ONCE KNEW

Week 2, Day 1

[a princess in PINK]

() () () () ()

"I HATE DAY ONE!"

"Cool it, Ike."

"DAY ONNNEEEEEEEE!"

"Dude, seriously, shut up."

"NO!"

"...why do I put up with you?"

Another week had begun in the Reaper's Game, and that meant a fresh batch of players. However, to the dismay of Ike, all the "fun Noise" as he put it, were off-limits for the first day.

"You do not understand my pain, Shiro."

"Nor do I want to. We have other things to be doing, anyway."

"But this is a massive point scoring opportunity!"

"You'll live."

"Well, yeah, of course, my point score is unrivalled. Wahahaha..."

"Then you can deal with missing out on a few days of Player hunting."

"Fiiinneee..."

Earlier today, Alice had called the group together to plan their course of action regarding the pursuit of Khai, and their investigation into the Noise Ground. Reaper Squad 12's first official meeting, she called it.

The two of them arrived at the roof of 104, and alongside Alice, was someone unfamiliar to Shiro. It was a rather young girl, who wore an extremely bright pink hoodie, adorned with bear ears on the top. She had a striped blue and white skirt, and long blue and purple striped stockings, leading down to her bright pink shoes. And frills, there were frills and ribbons everywhere. Both Shiro and Ike were unsure of what to look at, but Alice cleared her throat and begun her introduction.

"Welcome, you two. I have someone to introduce to you today. This is the fourth member of Reaper Squad 12, acting as our Support. Her name is Coco Atarashi."

"Hiii, how are you? Nice to meet'cha."

"...Why couldn't we have someone normal, like Sasami."

Ike, of course, was the first to speak.

"YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WITH ME?"

...but unexpectedly, was Coco's reaction.

"Yeah I do, you look like you're thirteen and you dress like you're a piece of candy or something."

"At least I HAVE fashion sense, you and your damn black jumper."

"W-What, this is uniform!"

"It's BORING."

Alice took this chance to step in. "Alright alright, settle down. Geez. I didn't expect arguments that quickly."

"Well you should of thought about it before you hired Ms. Cotton Can-" "HEY!"

"ANYWAY, learn to get along. She's part of the team. We should be getting on to business. Let's go over what we know so far."

"Well..." Shiro started. "The NoiseGround and the UnderGround have been linked through a portal, but for us we need what we assume are the Black Planets to open it for human use."

"Also that Khai guy I met yesterday, seems to be one of the Noise Human people. He's here looking for the Composer, about the... Noise Summoning? That was it, right?"

"Good work, both of you. Now I have an update on the Black Planet matter. Thanks to the efforts of both myself and Coco, we have acquired an additional two Black Planets."

Alice smiled as Ike let out a small cheer. Shiro looked over to Coco, who was also in a very bright mood, despite the earlier argument.

"So, which ones."

"Good question, Shiro. I am happy to report I got that annoying shopkeeper to budge, so I am now in possession of Black Venus."

"Wow, how'd you manage that? Did he get sick of you after five days in a row of visiting?"

"Actually, I traded him some old fuse part for electrical equipment. One of the times I was in there I heard a list of stuff he was looking for, and I happened to have a really old radio back in my flat."

"Nice work... So, Coco, what did you get?"

"Black Jupiter~ I got it from a Player, he was really nice. We made a deal and I got the pin~"

"So with Coco's and my contribution, we are now halfway there!"

"But we still don't know where the others are, huh..."

"Don't worry about that, Shirooo~ As part of my Support infobase, I can track the Pin economy as long as it's an exchange made in the UG or the listed shops. I'll find 'em in a flash!"

"Well, looks like you do have some use, Pink-" "Shut up Ike I hate you."

() () ()

After covering everything they needed to go over, and getting Coco mostly up to scratch, the team divided. Unwilling to leave Coco around Ike, Alice sent her with Shiro to Udagawa, to show her the wall.

"So.. Tipsy Tose Hall, and then Shibu-Q Heads, and then Udagawa. And that's the end of the route, right?"

"Right. You learned this stuff fast."

"Ahaha~ I gotta, I gotta. Support's job to know everything and relay it to you fieldies~"

"Where were you before being moved to Shibuya to help us?"

"Shinjuku, actually. Man that place is huge, their UG covers near the entire damned district."

"Oh, Japan's capital game. How was that?"

"The map is freaking huge. Shibuya's is nice cause it's like, the Scramble, and then it branches out for six routes. Shinjuku is massive and paths cross all over the place, and urgh. It just sucks."

"Hah, I guess that's to be expected from the capital. Hope I'm never transferred there."

"And I hope I get to stay herreeee~"

The two chatted as they made their way, and finally arrived at Udagawa's mural.

"Ah, I see, I see. This is the crack here... and these are the pin slots. Interesting..."

"Six slots, six pins. Our Black Planet theory came from that."

"Yesss, The Darklit Planets, or more commonly called the Black Planets, are one of four Six-pin sets along with the Crystal Keys, the Heavenly Stars, and the Golden Shrines. Of course, these high ranking pin sets are regarded high above other pins, and are limited to one set per game, the Darklit Planets being exclusive to Shibuya."

"You sure know your stuff."

"It's my jobbbb~"

"So I believe we have now covered everything."

"Indeed we have~ Thank you, Mr Shiro Shinda, for your assistance~ As you were told earlier, if you need me, we can telepathically communicate using the 'Violet Corridor' pin you were given. I will now retreat to my humble abode, and get right on being an assisting assistanttt~"

"See you around, Coco."

"Bai-bai~"

Coco skipped down the stairs and headed back out towards Shibu-Q. Shiro took another look at the great wall in front of him, and analysed his new information. Coco, unknowingly, had already contributed a fair deal to this investigation.

_'So... there's a six pin set tied to each of our four Reaper's Games... There has to be an anchor at each location, so does that mean there are four portals?'_

_'So... why Shibuya? Because of Yoshiya giving out the Noise summoning method? ...No, if it was that, the invasion would be more broad... They'd want to stop the other Games from using it as well. So the reason is specific... to Yoshiya. Khai specifically said that he was here for Yoshiya Kiryu... so then.'_

Shiro let out a sigh, and scratched the back of his head as he walked towards the exit of Udagawa.

"...we don't have the full story."

() () () () ()

-a princess in PINK-

::Day End::


End file.
